Obama Fundraises After Debut of 17-Minute Ad

Daniel Halper

March 16, 2012 1:01 PM

President Obama is in full campaign mode today, attending five fundraisers in two cities, Chicago and Atlanta. The AP reports:

President Barack Obama is embarking on a concentrated one-day fundraising trip, with a stop in his hometown of Chicago and another in Atlanta for a big-draw event with film producer Tyler Perry and performer Cee Lo Green.

Obama has been increasing his fundraising pace in preparation for his showdown with a Republican presidential nominee.

Obama will attend two fundraisers in Chicago and three in Atlanta. In Atlanta, his campaign's African American Leadership Council is holding a gala at Perry's studio featuring Green's performance. General admission tickets are $500. VIP tickets range from $2,500 to $10,000. A dinner later at Perry's home will raise $35,800 per guest.

Apparently the president's spokesman, Jay Carney, was asked about "the scheduling of a full day of fundraising," according to the White House pool report. His response was cagey. "It may or may not be simply logistically easier to do these when possible, given all the other responsibilities he has," Carney reportedly said. "This week obviously had a lot going on in Washington. Today was identified as a day when we could pull this off."

I guess, given the fast rate the Obama campaign spends cash, these sorts of days are sort of necessary to keep doing what they're doing.

Obama's spokesman "deflected" answering a question about the offensive lyrics of a musician who will be performing at a fundraiser later today:

Asked about C-lo [sic] Green, who is scheduled to perform at a fundraiser in Atlanta tonight, Carney said thinks POTUS might have him in his iPad. "I know he's a fan"

He deflected a question about C-lo's hit song, which is unprintable in a WH transcript.

Carney was also asked about the 17-minute campaign ad that was released last night, directed by Hollywood bigwig Davis Guggenheim. "That's a campaign video," Carney reportedly replied. "Questions about campaign strategy should be addressed to the campaign." He indicated he wasn't sure the president had even seen Guggenheim's product.

But Carney did his praise for the long spot, nevertheless. "I had a chance to see it. I thought it was superb. I'll probably watch it many times. I hope you will too."